Chapter 61

“Umm…”

The bright light seeping through the crack of the door woke me up. As I opened my eyes in a daze, the first thing that came into view was not my room but my mother’s luxurious bed.

‘Ah, right. I asked to sleep with Mom last night.’

Feeling lonely in the middle of the night, I went to my mother’s bedroom. Being in her warm embrace after so long made me giddy, and I ended up showering her with all sorts of flattery.

I think she told me to stop at some point, but I can’t quite remember what expression I had on my face back then. I might have said something, but…

I don’t know, my memory’s a bit hazy.

But I didn’t feel like trying to recall it either.

As long as I was possessing Tina’s body, my mother would continue to love me, and I had no intention of letting go of that blind affection.

Beside me, my mother was sound asleep.

It was a rare sight to see my mother, who always woke up early, still sleeping. Looking closely, there seemed to be shadows under her eyes. Did she not sleep well?

For a moment, I just stared blankly at her face.

She was truly beautiful.

Artasha had such a radiant appearance that there was no need to wonder whose genes Tina inherited to have such a lovely face.

It was like Tina’s lively face had been layered with maturity. And her body had developed quite a bit too.

Honestly, it wasn’t exactly my ideal type, but she was still a woman so captivating that I couldn’t help but stare.

It would have been fine to keep watching my mother sleep like this, but the clock was nearing 8. Wanting to have breakfast with her, I carefully climbed on top of her.

I placed my hips on her stomach, spread my legs, and then hugged her tightly with all my strength.

“Mom, it’s time to wake up.”

“Hmm…?”

Receiving her daughter’s morning hug, my mother gently opened her long eyelids and looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes wide open.

“Ti, Tina?”

“Good morning, Mom. Let’s have breakfast together.”

I smiled brightly and buried my face in her shoulder. My mother hesitated for a moment, then gently stroked my back.

“…Good morning, Tina. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“…I see.”

For some reason, her response felt a bit off. Curious, I lifted my head to look at her and noticed her expression was more subdued than usual.

“Mom…? Are you feeling unwell?”

I asked with concern, but my mother just silently stared at me for a while. As I started to feel uneasy from her unusual behavior, she closed her eyes with a pained expression and turned her head away.

“…I guess so. I’m not feeling well.”

“Wha, what?!”

My heart sank.

The unexpected answer made my hands tremble slightly. I had asked just in case, but I never thought it would actually be true.

Mom’s sick…?

She’s always been so healthy, how could she suddenly be unwell?

‘No, this can’t be… Mom can’t be sick…’

I was anxious.

In the game, Tina appeared as an NPC, but Tina’s mother, Artasha, was never even mentioned.

The only description of the Blanchard Baronet Family was that it was a tiresome household, with no mention of whether Tina’s mother was alive or dead.

The thought that something might happen to my mother made the thick mask I had put on crack and shatter in an instant.

I didn’t even know what expression I was making, but this unpleasant feeling was different from before. I didn’t have the energy to care about it now.

All my nerves were focused on worrying about my mother.

“So, Tina—”

“Le, let’s go to the hospital and get checked, okay…? No, you can’t be sick… You really can’t be sick… I’ll take you to the hospital… Let’s go now… Okay?”

I can’t lose my mother.

I really can’t.

I pleaded with her as if praying, afraid she might refuse by saying she was fine. I repeatedly asked her to go to the hospital.

For some reason, my mother stared at me with a dazed look for a long time. Her cheeks, usually pale, were flushed red, making her look really unwell.

Trying to suppress my wildly beating heart, I held her hand even tighter. After staring at me with a red face for a while, she shook her head strongly and placed her hand on her forehead, closing her eyes.

“Y, yes. I should go to the hospital.”

Her words made me feel a bit relieved. My mother pulled me into her embrace and slowly stroked my head as she spoke.

“Since we’re going, let’s get checked together.”

“Huh?”

I looked up, confused. My mother, with a serious expression, tidied my hair.

“It’s been a while since you last went to the hospital, right? Let’s go together this time.”

“But I’m fine…? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“I know, I know. But I think it would feel too lonely and desolate if I went alone…”

My eyes widened at her words. She wasn’t telling me to get checked; she was asking me to come with her.

I understood immediately.

Isn’t the hospital the loneliest place in the world? If I were sick and had to feel lonely on top of that, I probably wouldn’t go to the hospital even if I were unwell.

I immediately held my mother’s hand and reassured her with a bright smile.

“Let’s go together, Mom…!”

Well, it’s not like getting checked would wear me out. There was no need to avoid it.

After all, the results would come out normal.

※

The hospital we arrived at together was quite impressive.

I thought there wouldn’t be a building as large as the Merdelia Ducal Family’s Grand Mansion, but this place was just as vast, with numerous high-end facilities.

This place was called the Librium Grand Hospital. One of the most prestigious hospitals in the Empire, it was said that ordinary people needed to make an appointment at least a year in advance to get treated here.

How on earth did my mother manage to get an appointment here? It seemed my mother was far more capable than I had thought.

‘As expected of Mom, I really love her.’

Who wouldn’t like a capable person? Especially if that person was my mother, it made me even happier. Feeling a sense of pride, my lips twitched into a smile as my mother held my hand.

“Tina, say hello. This is the person who will guide you.”

My mother introduced a red-haired nurse. She wasn’t as beautiful as my mother, but she was still quite pretty.

But what caught my attention wasn’t her appearance.

‘…Do nurse uniforms usually cling that tightly?’

Perhaps this nurse knew how attractive her body was, as her embarrassingly tight uniform showcased her alluring curves.

“Hello. I’m Reina Hildensiborg, here to assist with your examination.”

Reina Hildensiborg.

A name not mentioned in the game, nor one I had ever heard of.

Well, whatever.

Just some nobody I don’t need to care about.

Though my interest had waned, I still smiled brightly and bowed to her.

“Listen to the nurse and get checked, okay?”

“What about you, Mom?”

“I’ll be examined by a specialist.”

I asked my mother, worried that the doctor might be a hairy, overweight man. There was no one as beautiful as my mother, and no woman with as sensual a body as hers. I was wary that the doctor might have impure thoughts.

I couldn’t bear the thought of a man touching my mother’s body. But fortunately, the person in charge of my mother’s examination was a woman. Moreover, she was a renowned doctor in the Empire known for her sincerity, so I could rest assured there were no impure intentions.

After leaving a firm kiss on my mother’s left cheek, we parted ways to each get our examinations.

I hadn’t heard much about the examination I was to undergo, but I wasn’t too concerned. Aside from being physically weak, there was nothing wrong with me, so this examination was probably unnecessary.

With a sly smile, I tugged at the nurse’s collar. The nurse looked down at me with her red eyes wide in surprise.

‘Hmm… What was her name again?’

I forgot already.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“You can just go easy on me, Nurse. I only came because Mom said she was feeling lonely. I’m perfectly fine.”

At my words, the nurse’s eyes widened, and she soon shook her head with an awkward smile.

“Haha… There’s no nurse here who would go easy on an examination just because you say so.”

Ugh, so inflexible.

Guess you’re not making money the easy way, Nurse.